Praise for Good Night, Sweetie:"Wan excels at creating board books that combine irresistibly adorable cartoon graphics with text that channels intimate, lovey-dovey conversations between parent and child." — Publishers WeeklyPraise for You Are My Merry Little Christmas:"This board book helps little readers grasp that the true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of the ties that bind us." — Kirkus ReviewsPraise for Peek-a-Boo Zoo:"The warm, round illustrations provide a soothing tone, making this a perfect late-afternoon read right before naptime." — Kirkus Reviews"Working in her characteristic aesthetic of rounded, chunky shapes, Wan assembles a cute-as-can-be cast that includes a penguin, hippo, and more . . . A fun addition to the book-as-game category." — Publishers WeeklyPraise for Are You My Mommy?:"The book radiates warmth with soft curved lines used to form the characters and scenery. Distinct visual patterns add an extra dimension to each page." — Kirkus ReviewsPraise for My Lucky Little Dragon:"The bold, friendly animals pop off the page with energy." — Kirkus ReviewsPraise for Hug You, Kiss You, Love You:"The book maintains the chunky digital graphics of Wan's previous titles, and clever visual details are everywhere, from thematically patterned backgrounds of bones, waves, and leaves to the recurring heart elements incorporated into the animals." — Publishers Weekly"Simple, boldly outlined art, rests atop bright, patterned backgrounds, and the type is large and playful. An affectionate little book for preschoolers — with glitter on the cover!" — BooklistPraise for We Belong Together:"Manga-like characterizations and a chunky, hip design deliver the cuddly sentiment with panache." — Publishers Weekly
Praise for Good Night, Sweetie:
"Wan excels at creating board books that combine irresistibly adorable cartoon graphics with text that channels intimate, lovey-dovey conversations between parent and child." — Publishers Weekly
Praise for You Are My Merry Little Christmas:
"This board book helps little readers grasp that the true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of the ties that bind us." — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Peek-a-Boo Zoo:
"The warm, round illustrations provide a soothing tone, making this a perfect late-afternoon read right before naptime." — Kirkus Reviews
"Working in her characteristic aesthetic of rounded, chunky shapes, Wan assembles a cute-as-can-be cast that includes a penguin, hippo, and more . . . A fun addition to the book-as-game category." — Publishers Weekly
Praise for Are You My Mommy?:
"The book radiates warmth with soft curved lines used to form the characters and scenery. Distinct visual patterns add an extra dimension to each page." — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for My Lucky Little Dragon:
"The bold, friendly animals pop off the page with energy." — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Hug You, Kiss You, Love You:
"The book maintains the chunky digital graphics of Wan's previous titles, and clever visual details are everywhere, from thematically patterned backgrounds of bones, waves, and leaves to the recurring heart elements incorporated into the animals." — Publishers Weekly
"Simple, boldly outlined art, rests atop bright, patterned backgrounds, and the type is large and playful. An affectionate little book for preschoolers — with glitter on the cover!" — Booklist
Praise for We Belong Together:
"Manga-like characterizations and a chunky, hip design deliver the cuddly sentiment with panache." — Publishers Weekly
2018-12-05
Wan takes her rhyming formula, previously applied to pumpkins, cupcakes, and more, and uses a unicorn as a vehicle for her newest outing in esteem-building.
"You are magical, my little one. / Reach for the stars, the moon, the sun." In each image, a rotund white unicorn with flowing, rainbow-colored mane and tail, stubby yellow horn, and yellow stars on its rump poses fetchingly, gallops adorably, or leaps cunningly. It repels angry thunder clouds as it trots along a rainbow and emits stars as it's exhorted to "sparkle and dazzle" in front of a small throng of admiring woodland animals. The artist's signature thick, black outlines and smiley faces (except for the frowning thunder clouds) give the book a solidly cheerful feel that is reinforced by the pastel palette. Landing as it does in an environment in which an emphasis on resilience is superseding rank cheerleading in early-childhood instruction and in which empathy must be cultivated, it feels only half-baked. It's all well and good to tell babies to "let your wondrous light shine through. / Baby, I believe in you!" But with no modeling of how to overcome adversity beyond the instruction not to "let fear stand in your way" nor even any sense that other creatures may be equally deserving of attention, it feels like the cotton candy it resembles.
Sweetness with no substance. (Board book. 1-3)
